A dragnet in the sea

Jesus gave another parable about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew. Four parables had been about life that is sown into something; two had been about value. The seventh parable is about fish.

"Again the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.

So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:47-50

This parable speaks of a final judgment for mankind: the wicked are taken out from among the righteous at the end of the age.

But the point of the parable is that the kingdom of heaven is the net, stretched out over a wide area of the sea, drawing in everything. For fish in the sea, a net is an unescapable reality, forcing them toward the surface.

The parables that were told before had to do with the kingdom of God in a man; but this parable addresses the kingdom of God in the world. The kingdom of God persuades all men of a coming judgment.

Believers know they will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for the deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men..."
II Corinthians 5:10-11

Holiness is perfected in the fear of Christ.

"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of Christ."
II Corinthians 7:1

But the Holy Spirit also persuades the world of a judgment to come.

"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment..." John 16:8

The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit cannot work this in the world directly. The Holy Spirit works through us. We are the salt of the earth; we are the light of the world. Where the kingdom of God is near, the Holy Spirit is convicting the world of judgment.

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are the fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma of death to death, to the other an aroma of life to life..." II Corinthians 2:14-16

The kingdom of God is like a dragnet in the sea, forcing all to a sense of coming judgment. For believers, it brings a sense of life; but for unbelievers, it brings a sense of death. This is at work where the kingdom of God is near, and only where it is near. We are the point of contact for the kingdom of God in this world; we should not be surprised if some do not want the kingdom of God near them.